My new toy
Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 11:47PM 
The more avid of my readership (all eight of you) may have noticed that I have been a little slack on the posting of late. This is partly down to a temporary bout of sloth, but more to do with the fact that I have been spending much of my free time researching DSLR cameras, lenses and lighting. I have really enjoyed blogging over the last 3 months – I have no plans to stop anytime soon – so I thought it was time to take the blog to the next level, and the most obvious thing that I need (apart from a lot more content) is better photos.
After about a month of looking into the options, I have finally purchased a Canon EOS 50D. It gets great reviews on the key digital photography sites and many food bloggers whose photos I admire (and drool over) use cameras from the Canon EOS series. Also recommended by other food bloggers is the Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM lens. I was tempted to go with the cheaper option which many suggest as a substitute, but in the end I read too many quotes like this: “OK, listen up. The most important component of your camera is the lens. If there is a place to spend the money, it's on the glass” to buy the cheapest lens on the market.
Last night I spent a short amount of time reading the introduction to camera basics in the manual; short because my initial excitement immediately gave way to panic. What had I done? What was I thinking spending half my life savings on a semi-professional DSLR having never picked one up in my life? If the basics were so foreign to me, how would I ever learn how to use even a quarter of the cameras functions? I should have gone for the entry-level camera after all! So I did what one should always do in these situations, I closed the manual, took a few deep breaths and went to bed.
It was not without a some trepidation that I picked up my camera this evening, but my fear had subsided and my curiosity was too great, I had to try the bugger out. Just in auto mode, mind you. None of these aperture, ISO and shutter speed settings for me yet. Baby steps.
Here are some of the photos I took and, bearing in mind that I have not yet invested in any lighting or started to use any of the creative functions, even the harshest critic would have to admit that the difference is remarkable. The lack of decent lighting means that the flash is too prominent in the first image, but in those where I have turned it off or attempted to diffuse it, the improvement is marked. Even at this basic level, it is a huge step up from what I have been working with until now. I have not edited the photos at all, I have only resized them.
Built-in flash on
Flash turned off
Hand in front of flash, hence the orange glow and dull green
Close-up, flash off
So now I have my camera and my lens, the only thing left to sort out is the lighting... Well, leaving aside the fact that I don’t actually know how to use my camera and lens, but that will come with time, right?
Baby steps, baby steps.
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Reader Comments (3)
I'm impressed - good on you girl. no turning back now! By the way does anyone amongst your avid readership know who Banana Yoshimoto is? - what an amazing name! - I checked her out on Wikepedia - Yoshimoto is a Japanese author who took the pseudonym "Banana" after her love of banana flowers, a name she recognizes as both "cute" and "purposefully androgynous." Cool bananas!
how very exciting!
Im sure your get the hang of it soon?!
And in any case even if you dont they make the photos look better without even trying!
xx
Congrats on your new DSLR. As you've already noted, a fast lens is probably the most important tool. I use a 50mm 1.4 lens - if you're photographing at home, it's best to make use of soft natural light either early in the morning, or late afternoon. Using the flash on your camera is rarely recommended - most people use a speedlight flash which attaches on the top that you can position so light bounces off the ceiling or wall, and then gently bathes the subject.
Using auto is fine but to get the depth-of-field you see in so many food blogs, you may wish to play around with Aperture Priority. Your manual should explain how to use this.
And the key to success is, as always, lots of practice. The beauty of digital is you can practice endlessly with little cost. You will improve your shots with every photo!